Arvel Crynyd was a male human who flew as a Z-95 Headhunter pilot for a Thyferran bacta cartel before joining the Alliance to Restore the Republic. With the Alliance, he fought in the Galactic Civil War, a galaxy-wide conflict between the Alliance and the Galactic Empire. Holding the rank of commander, Crynyd flew as a pilot in Green Squadron, operating an RZ-1 A-wing interceptor. In 4 ABY, after the Bothan spynet discovered that Galactic Emperor Sheev Palpatine would be aboard the second Death Star to oversee its construction, Alliance High Command determined that launching an immediate assault on the space station would be their only chance to cripple the Empire.